


Family is What You Make and Break It

by merriman



Category: Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Genre: F/F, Inheritance Law, Mostly canonical character death, Subterfuge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-15 10:49:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13029459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merriman/pseuds/merriman
Summary: Famulus has been deep in Titus' court, spying for Kalique, when Balem's assumed death gives them an opportunity of several lifetimes.





	Family is What You Make and Break It

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lady_ragnell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_ragnell/gifts).



> This takes place during and just after the end of the movie and assumes that Balem did indeed die (hence the "mostly canon character death" tag).

"He was going to what?" Kalique looked genuinely affronted by the very idea. "How horrible."

"I know," Famulus said. She watched as Kalique fumed silently for a few moments. All three Abrasax siblings had tempers, but Kalique's only came out in private, when she could trust that it wouldn't be held against her later.

"And you didn't call me?" Kalique asked. Famulus could see the tension in her jawline and considered how irritating it was not to be there with her to kiss it away. But she wasn't there with Kalique. She was still on Titus' party barge and Kalique was at home, clearly fresh out of a bath and young as ever.

Famulus sighed. "I wouldn't have let it go that far," she assured Kalique. "But I couldn't get away to call before now. The wedding wouldn't have been a huge barrier. I had the annulment paperwork all ready to go. And it would have kept Titus occupied for a time."

"Still," Kalique sighed, relaxing a tiny bit, just enough to unclench her jaw. "To marry and kill our mother's recurrence. How gauche. He couldn't have possibly thought he could get away with it with no argument from me or Balem."

"He was very single-minded," Famulus told her. "Really, it was impressive seeing him work."

"I'll just bet it was," Kalique murmured. She sat back a little and Famulus just watched as she stretched, tilting her head a bit one way, a bit the other. Kalique pressed her fingers to her temples for a moment, closing her eyes and then opening them again. "I do wish you were here, dearest," she told Famulus.

"I wish I was too, but you did say I was to stay until you called me in," Famulus reminded her. It had been upsetting for them both, really, when Kalique had sent her to spy on her brother, but thrilling all the same. Titus' court was fascinating. Horrible, much of the time, but fascinating nonetheless. 

"Of course," Kalique said. "What did you think of her?"

"Of Jupiter?" Famulus quickly considered how to couch her response. On one hand, Jupiter Jones was a human girl from a planet destined for harvesting any year now. Sooner, even, if Balem managed it before Jupiter could muster up the resources to actually stop him. It was one thing to stop him legally. But legalities weren't something Balem Abrasax often cared much about. On the other hand, Jupiter was indeed the recurrence of Seraphi Abrasax. Regardless of what backwater planet they'd grown up on, recurrences tended to eventually come into their own once they'd learned about the larger galaxy around them. If they survived. Judging Jupiter right now likely wasn't fair.

"Quaint," Famulus said after a moment. "Promising."

"Hmm." The hint of a smile played at Kalique's lips. "I think you're quite right. Much as I would adore to have you back here, I think it's probably for the best that you stay with Titus for now, at least until things with Jupiter settle. Goodness only knows what else Titus might have planned."

"Or Balem," Famulus pointed out. "Honestly, I think Titus is rather spent at the moment, figuratively speaking. His big play was the wedding. He's not the type to actually go on the offensive and attack Earth or either you or Balem. He made his move and she countered and won. He'll find something else to amuse himself with now. If he hasn't already."

"Or someone. Or several someones," Kalique agreed. "Still. Stay there. Call me if anything comes up. When things are calmer we'll get you home."

Kalique gave Famulus one last bright smile, then ended the call.

Famulus sat there in her quarters for another minute or two, considering her next move. She quickly tucked away the shielded communication hub she used to talk to Kalique, then changed into something befitting Titus' public court. Following his loss of Jupiter, he'd called in all his friends. Or rather, the people he called his friends. Friends for Titus meant people who hadn't _recently_ tried to kill him or frame him or steal from him.

Right now they were all having quite the party in the main salon of his ship. Famulus made an appearance, making her way through the crowd as they drank and gossipped and screwed on the couches that peppered the salon. After grabbing a glass of whatever was being served on the floating trays making the rounds of the party, Famulus listened to the conversations around her. Most were pointless chatter about meaningless things, but Famulus tucked away the information anyhow. One never knew what would be useful for blackmail or other manipulation. 

It took some looking, but she finally spotted Titus, surrounded by women and men in various states of undress. Famulus caught his eye so he'd know she was there, then kept moving. Titus knew well that she wasn't available to him like that. She'd let him assume it was because she wanted to make certain that _someone_ was looking out for his best interests even when he was distracted. 

In truth, Famulus wasn't about to get herself involved with _two_ Abrasax siblings. Being with Kalique, even at a distance for the moment, was complicated enough. Adding Titus to the mix? No thank you. Besides, he had plenty to keep him busy.

After an hour or so, Famulus left the party. It had all the signs of going on for at least the next few days and she wasn't really interested in getting a contact high from the various chemicals being passed around there. Before she left, she set a small drone scurrying up to the ceiling to keep an eye on things for her. Once back in her quarters she put the drone's feed on one screen and a few news feeds on others and floated them all over into her bathroom.

She had to give Titus that - her quarters were extravagant. But then, everything on his ship was extravagant. 

Once in the bath, Famulus relaxed. If the party started to fade she'd notice.

A few hours in, the party had only gotten bigger. Famulus had pulled up a feed showing a list of who was arriving and who was leaving. She was just adding more water to her bath when a news alert caught her ear. 

"We have gotten word that Balem Abrasax, first primary of the House of Abrasax, has died in an accident at his RegenX refinery on the planet Jupiter. A search for his body is underway, but look out for a genetic recurrence! You never know when that Abrasax family will show up again!"

Famulus was up and out of the bath in an instant, grabbing a robe, muting the feeds, and quickly retrieving her communication hub and sending an urgent call to Kalique.

"Famulus, darling?" Kalique said when she answered. "Glad as I am to see you, we did just speak. What could have come up? This can't just be because you miss me."

"Of course not," Famulus assured her. "Have you seen the latest news?" She paused. Kalique didn't _like_ Balem. No one really liked him. He was rude and overbearing and while Kalique maintained a polite relationship with him, they certainly didn't socialize regularly. But still, he was her brother. So Famulus schooled her features into a sympathetic look and clutched her robe closed around herself. "Your brother… Balem. They're saying there was an accident."

Kalique stared at her, then moved into action. Famulus could see her turning to a bank of holo-displays behind her, using her seal to show a sprawling network of planets through multiple systems. A much smaller network lit up in red, then a much bigger one in yellow. Kalique spun it around and poked at the yellow network a little, then at the controls. The yellow system started to blink in and out.

"Oh, my dear, foolish brother," Kalique said softly. "After all your scheming to obtain Earth, you left your holdings open on your own death. We'll need to move quickly before Titus finds out about this."

Famulus looked at her feed from the party. She carefully directed her drone to find Titus. When it did, she could see him in the middle of a group of humans and splices, all over each other in a hot tub full of what might well be RegenX. Famulus shook her head and turned her attention to Kalique. 

"Titus is, shall we say, distracted," she told her. "I'm flooding the party with a little something to keep everyone nice and content." While she spoke, Famulus turned on the vents in the salon, letting loose just enough of a special blend of happiness Titus himself had mixed up a few months back.

"Excellent. I'm going to make certain that even if my brother were to recur some day, his holdings will never be his again." Kalique smiled at Famulus. "Did you know that a primary's inheritance reverts back to their parent's genetic recurrence in the event of their death? And that the rights of a parental recurrence supercede those of a primary's recurrence? Provided they make a claim within ten days."

Famulus had indeed known that. She'd made a point of reading through the inheritance laws as they applied to recurrences and their descendants and recurrences of their descendants. It was incredibly complicated and dull for the most part, but she'd known she'd need it all some day when she'd first gotten involved with the family.

But this all depended on Jupiter Jones claiming Balem's inheritance as the recurrence of his mother. They didn't even know where Jupiter was now. So while Kalique worked out what forms she needed and where she had to file them, Famulus dug into the accident at the refinery and the current whereabouts of Jupiter Jones.

"She's on Earth," Famulus told Kalique after a few minutes. "The Aegis got her out. We could call them."

Kalique turned to face Famulus and smiled. "Of course! I am merely a loving daughter and friend, attempting to make certain that my mother's recurrence has what is due to her! Please, stay and keep Titus from interrupting. I'll call you when we have everything done. And thank you, darling, for letting me know."

Famulus blew a kiss to Kalique, who grinned and ended the call. Looking over at her feed from the party, Famulus smiled. Soon enough she would be back with Kalique and Titus would be left to his own devices.

* * *

Famulus stayed out of things when Kalique went to pay a visit to Jupiter Jones on Earth. Trust was a hard thing to rebuild and this was too delicate a conversation to be having if Jupiter was going to spend half the time glancing over at Famulus and wondering what she was doing there and whether she was going to betray Kalique.

So instead, Famulus waited on Titus' ship, watching as the party continued around him. It was just starting to wind down when she got a message from Kalique that all the necessary documents had been signed and notarized and were currently being filed by a team of lawyers she kept on retainer. 

"Come home, darling," the message ended. "It's well time I got you back from that layabout con artist brother of mine."

So Famulus packed her things and checked on the party one more time. Then she shut down her feeds one by one and set the system to wipe any trace of any of the footage and records she'd so carefully tucked away for future blackmail material. One of the perks of being high up in Titus' court was that he had left quite a bit of his business to her, which made for an excellent opportunity to glean all sorts of things for her own use. Or Kalique's. It was all safe and sound with her people by now, and Famulus was going to get to rejoin them. 

Before she left her quarters she took the antidote to the gas she'd been so liberally spraying over the party. It was all over the ship now, even making its way into the lower decks and the control room. It would run out in about two more hours and people would start realizing they'd been there for ages. Famulus walked through the main salon one more time, pausing to catch Titus' eye again. He beckoned to her, but she just waved and left. She had a shuttle ready and waiting.

"I'm on my way," Famulus told Kalique once she was well away from Titus' ship. "He was in the middle of an orgy when I left."

"Of course he was," Kalique said, laughing. Famulus was about to explain about the gas she'd pumped into the ship's air supply when one of her other monitors lit up.

"Famulus!" Titus' voice came through before his picture did. "Whatever are you doing leaving at a time like this?"

"A time like what, my lord?" Famulus asked, leaving Kalique's channel open as well. 

"The party needs more oomph," Titus told her. "You know I depend on you to keep things going around here. Especially when I'm so distraught."

Famulus cocked her head, waiting for him to continue.

"I have the most beastly headache!" Titus said. "Do you know how difficult it is to entertain a thousand guests when you have a headache? Impossible. So get back here and take care of this."

"I'm sorry, my lord, but I can't do that," Famulus told him. "I've put in my notice. You'll find the document sealed and notarized and awaiting your perusal in your chambers. I'm returning to my former employer."

She turned the monitor he was on so he could see Kalique, who smiled at him, all teeth and no mirth.

"Do take care, brother. I'm certain I will see you at Balem's memorial service."

Titus started to sputter out a question, but Famulus closed and blocked the channel before he could gather his protests. He'd be trying to get someone to figure out how to get around the block, find out what happened to Balem, look into Famulus' past, all the things Famulus had once done for him.

Kalique was laughing on the other monitor.

"Well done, dearest. I'll see you soon."

Famulus smiled and blew her a kiss. "Soon," she agreed. "It will be good to be home."


End file.
